SEATTLE — The 150-member crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star returned earlier this month to their homeport of Seattle following a 105-day deployment to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze. Operation Deep Freeze is an annual joint military service mission in support of the National Science Foundation, the lead agency […]
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]cting on the advice of medical experts, National Science Foundation (NSF) officials have directed the NSF-chartered research vessel Nathaniel B. Palmer to put ashore a person in need of a level of care not available aboard the ship. The Palmer, which is at sea in Antarctic waters, will divert to the British Antarctic Survey’s Rothera Station. After arriving […]
A gigantic cavity — two-thirds the area of Manhattan and almost 1,000 feet (300 meters) tall — growing at the bottom of Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica is one of several disturbing discoveries reported in a new NASA-led study of the disintegrating glacier. The findings highlight the need for detailed observations of Antarctic glaciers’ undersides […]
“Antarctic king” shows how life at the South Pole bounced back after mass extinction Antarctica wasn’t always a frozen wasteland—250 million years ago, it was covered in forests and rivers, and the temperature rarely dipped below freezing. It was also home to diverse wildlife, including early relatives of the dinosaurs. Scientists have just discovered the […]